For those with rabbits that tend to get "poopy butt"

[Ivory]

Ivory is apparently one of those rabbits that tend to get "poopy butt", despite the lots of timothy hay and high-fiber, low protein pellets she gets. She had been leaving a LOT of cecals around her cage, and they weren't getting eaten. And whenever I've let her out, she's been leaving about four or five "packages" around my room- you know, those sausage-shaped clumps of little bitty soft poops that smell like fermented bacteria?

I was worried that she wasn't eating them at all- but she wasn't showing any signs of a vitamin B deficiancy, so I figured that she was.

Well, I was brainstorming ways to add some MORE fiber to the diet without putting more protein. So I'm thinking of hays, different kinds of hay. But what difference will that make? She already eats about three or four big handfuls of timothy a day. Even Dad couldn't come up with anything- but he couldn't find anything wrong with her, other than this "sticky bottom" syndrome. She was eating well, drinking well, was healthy, walking well, no bacterial infections, she was clean, her GI tract was moving normally, her teeth were in good shape....and then,

"Dad, can rabbits have Benefiber?"

"....I don't see why not."

So I added a tablespoon of Benefiber (the tasteless, clear kind) to her 32-ounce water bottle. And overthe last three days...I have seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of uneaten cecals hanging around! I haven't seen them in her cage, and she only left one little "package" outside of the cage, but it was a small one.

So I just figured I'd pass that information on to those with rabbits with problems with "poopy butt".

This does present a problem in the amount of water given. I think I may buy a twelve-ounce bottle and feed her in that. She drinks about five-six ounces a day, so that would last two days, and I change their water bottles every two days. Sooo that will work out well.

But I just thought that was awesome.

 

[Butterfinger]

That -is- pretty awesome

Butter used to get poopy butt often, too, but... not so much lately. (Now he gets 'pee feet' *Sigh* )
Nice discovery, though :biggrin2:

~Diana and Butter

 

[clarzoo]

Thanks! That's a great find!

I have one fuzzy lop, Mokey, who tends to have the same problem you were describing. But in her case, if I make sure to give her fresh hay every day, it tends to cut down on the squishy poo. If I am bad and forget to give her hay- I notice and increase in them.

I've wondered if it is because she is a broken colored rabbit that is almost a charlie (no markings). I know in other species, digestive problems are common in mostly white animals (not albinos, but lightly marked). Her litter mates and parents don't have the same problem she does.

 

[clarzoo]

For 'pee-feet', just spray with white vinegar, let it sit for a minute, then dry off the excess. Might take a few sessions. If he licks his feet, the vinegar won't hurt him either. (Also, if he has a litter box, keep a grid over the dirty litter to prevent his feet from continuing to get dirty) I keep a spray bottle of white vinegar in my rabbitry and spray the cage wire while I have a rabbit out for a grooming session, and if the feet are yellow, I spray the feet, too! It really cuts down on yellow feet in my barn. Which is great for show rabbits :biggrin2:


Butterfinger wrote:

That -is- pretty awesome

Butter used to get poopy butt often, too, but... not so much lately. (Now he gets 'pee feet' *Sigh* )
Nice discovery, though :biggrin2:

~Diana and Butter

 

[Ivory]

I'm going to have to try that with Ivory. She has "pee feet", but not too bad.

 

[JadeIcing]

Ohh Pee Feet solution. I can do that with Ringo but not Elvis. From his personality and the way he reacts to the smell of I think he was punished with it.

 

[Dame-Tee]

can you please explain what benefibre is?

im in australia and ive never heard of it,

i have a bun that has started doing dark softish poohs

i have given a dose of baycox 4 coxidiosis

and taken her off greens

apart from this shes fine

so im interested in trying this

 

[cheryl]

Hey Dame Tee

I'm sure the benefibre would be something like our metamucil,you know the fibre granuales that you add to water

Cheryl

 

[okiron]

cheryl13 wrote:

Hey Dame Tee

I'm sure the benefibre would be something like our metamucil,you know the fibre granuales that you add to water

Cheryl

Same thing, different brand lol. I always go for the store brands. Much cheaper.

 

[polly]

clarzoo wrote:

For 'pee-feet', just spray with white vinegar, let it sit for a minute, then dry off the excess. Might take a few sessions. If he licks his feet, the vinegar won't hurt him either. (Also, if he has a litter box, keep a grid over the dirty litter to prevent his feet from continuing to get dirty) I keep a spray bottle of white vinegar in my rabbitry and spray the cage wire while I have a rabbit out for a grooming session, and if the feet are yellow, I spray the feet, too! It really cuts down on yellow feet in my barn. Which is great for show rabbits :biggrin2:

Thats brill Clarzoo, Jins feet are stained and i need to cleant them up before the next show so i know what i will be doing tomorrow:biggrin2:

 

[Pet_Bunny]

cheryl13 wrote:

I'm sure the benefibre would be something like our metamucil,

I think it was TinysMom that mentioned Flaxseed to me.

So I went out and bought Whole Raw Flaxseed, and found it has high fiber to supplement Pebbles small poos. She loves it but it can be fatting. I give her about a small teaspoon a day.

Other things you can give are black shelled sunflower seeds and apples for fibre.